"Created this massive momentum and interest": Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s DEI crew unveils the PR hustle behind Junior's exponential rise as NASCAR icon

The news of Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving his No. 8 Budweiser Chevy for the first time in 17 years is finally official. The veteran racer drove the iconic car for Dale Earnhardt Inc. from 1999 to 2007, winning 17 races from 291 starts.

In a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download Reloaded podcast, former Dale Earnhardt Inc. PR personnel Jade Gurss revealed how Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8 crew rose to the heights of popularity back in the day.

"We knew because of who his father was that all the racing media would cover him. I could have scr***d up a hundred times and we knew he would still be a big story within the racing industry," Gurss said of Dale Earnhardt Jr. "My role was to expand that more into the general public. Honestly, we were trying to reach young men who drank beer; we wanted them to drink Budweiser." (0:13)

However, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s popularity reached its pinnacle in the 2000s when MTV Cribs featured his home located just 30 minutes from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Watch the full episode here:

"Then MTV came out," Gurss recalled (0:54). "We did MTV Cribs and that was insane. If you weren't around in that era, I don't think people understand how impactful Cribs was at that time. It just created this massive momentum and interest in Dale Jr."

Dale Earnhardt Jr is one of the NASCAR dignitaries who are responsible for the widespread reach of the sport in the NextGen era. The Hall of Famer has appeared on countless magazine covers and numerous talk shows which have only popularized NASCAR. After all, he has been NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for 15 years straight from 2003 to 2017.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up on demands of iconic sponsor for upcoming NASCAR stint

The paint scheme on the #8 is expected to stay just the same as when Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove it for the last time in 2007. In a recent episode of his Dale Jr Download podcast, the two-time Xfinity Series champion explained the reason behind the same.

"Budweiser insisted like we want everybody to see that car in the track every week," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "We want them to instantly be able to recognize that car in the field. We believe in continuity and brand identity and instant recognition. That makes a whole lot of sense."

"Because after all these years if I had drove ten and eight different Bud cars throughout the year...each year... would this scheme be all that transcending or recognizable or would it be as iconic today? Likely, a little bit less iconic," Dale Jr. further observed.

As per reports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 8, flaunting the "Bud King of Beers" paint scheme, in this year's South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway on November 23.

The 50-year-old's Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports has been doing pretty well, with three drivers in the Round of 8 of the playoffs. Justin Allgaier is currently at the top of the standings with 3088 points, while Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith stand at seventh and eighth, respectively.

At the recently-concluded Ambetter Health 400 in Las Vegas, Allgaier finished third while Mayer finished 14th. JR Motorsports driver Brandon Jones finished 17th in the race while Sammy Smith finished 32nd.